Things To Do In Brighton With Kids

Even Nanny McPhee must have struggled to keep the children occupied at some point. If you’re planning a family visit to Brighton you’ll most certainly be looking for things to do in Brighton with kids. Have no fear, you won’t be stuck for things to keep the little one’s amused, Brighton has a great deal to offer our littler visitors and there is a great variety of things to do for children.

The Brighton Wheel

Children love an adventure and they also like rides, so there’s no better way of keep them occupied than taking a voyage of discovery 50 metres above Brighton’s skyline. Printing off The Brighton Wheel’s “I Spy From The Sky” map and getting the children to spot the famous Brighton landmarks from above the city as you make the three revolutions is an excellent way to excite and inspire them. With its breath taking panoramic views across the city and the coastline it’s perfect way to spend some family time. Get The Map

Brighton Sea Life Centre

The draw of the 150 creatures of the deep is always a big favourite with children all year round. Get your kids interested, thinking and talking with the interactive rock pool where they can get up close and personal touching crabs and starfish or the amazing Jellyfish discovery where they can marvel at the grace and motion in the coloured tanks. With feeding demonstrations throughout the day, turtles, sharks, Seahorses, rays and more they’ll be spoilt to pick their favourite. Visit Website

Brighton Pier

The ever popular and garish nature of Brighton Pier is always a big hit with children. With the gloriously tacky splendour of the fairground with its stalls, amusements and rides. It’s always going to be a crowd pleaser and well worth putting on the to do list. Take in the coastal sights with a walk along one of the UK’s top ten visitor attractions and take in the classic Victorian styling with stunning panoramic views of Brighton’s coastline. Deckchairs on the pier are free and it’s a great place to sit and enjoy a packed lunch or some food from one of the many shops.

Brighton Beach

Always a favourite with the entire family, a visit to Brighton is just not right without a day at the beach. Many of the attractions are open all year and kids always love playing on the pebbled beach, throwing stones into the sea. With so many attractions to keep your children happy including; the fun fair, the children’s playground, Peter Pan’s playground, crazy golf courses and of course splashing in the sea!

West Pier Playground

For the children, what’s not to like? With its paddling pool, adventure playground and sand the West Pier Playground is play heaven. Situated just after the silhouette of the old West Pier, the playground is the perfect spot for you to take some time out while the kids play. Perfectly situated next to coffee shops, so you can have some well earned refreshments while the little ones splash around.

The Volks Railway

Take a slow but unique ride on the world’s oldest running electric railway and let its narrow gauge rails take you on a leisurely journey along 400 metres of the Brighton seafront. Opened in 1883, Volks railway is a firm favourite with all the family rides and run daily April - September. Visit Website

Peter Pan’s Playground

One of the stops on the Volks Railway route, Peter Pan’s Playground is a small but fun fully enclosed adventure playground. With climbing frames, slides and water sprouts it’s popular and suitable for small children. There is also a mini crazy golf course and outdoor cafe.

Brighton Toy Museum

Every child’s toy box dream, this treasure chest of 4,000 square feet of toys and models is a firm family favourite. Located just under Brighton Station in the Victorian arches, with over 10,000 toys and models on display the collection showcases the last 100 years. With teddy bears, puppets, Peter Rabbit collection, toy cars and of course classic railways collections there’s something for boys and girls - young and old. Visit Website

Booth Museum Of Natural History

Home to more than half a million specimens collected over three centuries, brought to life through the eccentric displays, with interactive and ‘hands on’ activities. The collection features Victorian taxidermy, fossils, dinosaur bones, insects, rocks and plants. This is a quirky and unique museum experience that will interest and give children of all ages an understanding for the natural world.

Hove Museum & Art Gallery

Visit Hove Museum and enter into the wonderful world of the wizards attic, where children will just love the interactive toy gallery. The mock up of the Wizard’s workshop for broken toys is a firm favourite with younger visitors to the city with a bedroom split by time, interactive displays and of course toys! The museum houses lots of interesting exhibits for older visitors too so it’s real family favourite.

Brighton Museum & Art Gallery

With exciting interactive and dynamic displays, a performance gallery with puppets, mask and costumes, it’s a real hands-on experience for children, so they won’t get bored. Located next to the iconic Brighton Pavilion, the Brighton Museum houses an eclectic mix of exhibits with something for everyone. The Museum is well worth a visit, not too intensive and can be done in a couple of hours meaning it will keep the attention of the little ones. More About Brighton Museums

Brighton & Hove Parks

Brighton & Hove boasts over 90 parks and gardens within the city all offering places to relax, space to play or just somewhere to walk. Children love to run about, so what better way to spend some time than to pack a picnic and visit one of Brighton & Hove’s parks and get out in the open air. Some of Brighton & Hove’s best include; Stanmer Park which is a popular family destination with its woodland trails and open spaces perfect for family picnics. Or how about Preston Park? One of Brighton’s largest parks and has themed gardens, a multitude of sports activities and a cafe for refreshments. For something a little more relaxing why not head to Queens Park and feed the ducks or St Ann’s Wells Gardens for some more wildlife? In the summer months Hove park has a miniature railway which kids would love taking a ride on and there is plenty of space for them to run riot. Read More

The Painting Pottery Cafe

Situated in the North Laines, take an hour or two out from the usual Brighton sights and discover your creative side at The Painting Pottery Cafe. Whether you’re an old hand or have never painted pottery before, this arty experience caters for every ability. There are stencils available for the beginner and patterns to follow or you can just let your creative flair come up with a masterpiece of your own. Simply turn up, select your potter, grab some paints and create! Suitable for all ages, it’s a great way to spend some quality time with the kids, have fun with friends or just kill sometime on your own. Your creations will be fired and can be collected later that day or posted out to you. Visit Website

Brighton Marina

When you’re unsure what activities you want to do and want to keep everyone happy, then head to Brighton Marina. There you’ll be spoiled for choice, with ten pin bowling, cinema, trampolines, novelty rides, crazy golf, shopping, eating and more there’s a wide range of things for all the family. Take a walk along the Marina wall or the promenade and admire the boats. If you’d like to do something a bit more exciting, then how about a boat tour alone Brighton’s seafront.

Lazerzone

Children will have a blast as they enter into a forgotten land and stalk the enemy with state of the art laser packs. Open every day from 12pm and suitable for children aged 6 and above but they do sometimes let younger children play, depending on how comfortable they are.

Hire Bikes

While walking can be a great way to get around Brighton, the children would find it much more fun on bikes. Brighton Cycle hire or Amsterdammers’, near Brighton train station, has Brighton & Hove’s largest selection of bikes. Offering hassle-free bike hire with front mounted child seats as well as a range of child and adult bikes, you’ll be off on your wheels in no time. Visit Website

Rockpooling Rottingdean Beach

Rottingdean beach, just east of Brighton, has a pebbled beach backed by chalk cliffs which makes it ideal for rockpooling. Rottingdean is easy to get to by bus or by car and the village offers a wide selection of cafes, pubs and shops.

Children’s Activities Close to Brighton

Drusillas

Situated just 12 miles from Brighton, Drusillas Park is widely regarded as the best small zoo in the country and is a fantastic day out for the whole family. With an array of animals and interactive fun with a large number of hands-on activities kids cannot fail to have fun. Although the animals are the children’s favourite attractions there is also an amazing play area with climbing, sliding, jumping and swinging for all age groups. Visit Website

Lewes Castle

Lewes Castle offers a great day out for families with a multitude of activities to suit everyone. Kids and adults alike will love the dressing up and climbing up the zigzag steps to the top of the 1000 year old castle to get stunning panoramic views of the Sussex Downs. The Castle offers a very tactile experience where you can fire a Crossbow, build an arrowslit and play knight. Visit Website

Spring Barn Park

Whatever the weather, there’s fun to be had at Spring Barn for the whole family. Providing the weather’s nice, children can have hours of fun in the fresh air jumping and bouncing in the Adventure Play Area. If the weather’s no so great, they can wear themselves out in the Indoor Play Area with a soft area for kids under 5. There are also tractor and trailer rides with stunning views of the downs but make sure you go and see the animals too. Visit Website

Bentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum

Just outside of Brighton, near Lewes Bentley is an amazing place with so much to see for the whole family. Set on a beautiful Sussex estate, you can spend your day outside in the wildfowl reserve, walking around the ancient buildings along the woodland trail or in the willow tunnels. When or if you’d rather be inside, you can spend your time looking at fabulous collection of vintage cars or take a look through the craft workshops. Sound good? Well, the fun doesn’t stop there is also the children’s favourite Adventure Playground where the children and play while you rest a little. Visit Website

Monkey Bizness

Monkey Bizness is a great place to take the kids when you just want to relax. Adults can sit on one of the many sofas, browse the internet with the free Wi-Fi, chat with a friend or sit and read a newspaper while the kids play. The children will love the play frame for where the over fives can clamber and play like little monkeys… There is also a 30 foot climbing wall where they can attempt to conquer the monster and a separate climbing frame for the under fives. Visit Website